An open meeting to discuss the development of a Parish Plan agreed at the council meeting on 15th October will be held by zoom at 7.30pm on Tuesday 10th November. Anyone who wishes to participate may join on https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85332542743?pwd=aVBJLzhVS0ZQVWJrR2p6ekZ4cFVvZz09

Or by dialing in on either 0203 481 5237 or 0203 481 5240 United Kingdom and entering the meeting ID: 853 3254 2743 and passcode: 718990.

Over 250 people (we think – but it was dark!) attended the inaugural Community Carols on The Green last night. Hot chocolate was served from Cedars, mulled wine from Martins Pond (compliments of the Parish Council), the Rev Joe told the Christmas story, and Choir on the Green lead the singing on staging and under lighting provided by local resident Chris Pocock.

Same time, same place next year?

Open spaces
The two trees on the Spencer Holland recreation ground which were considered high
risk have been removed. It wasn’t possible to cut back some trees on the sports field
whose branches are encroaching on the football pitch but this will be completed shortly.
Work will also commence in the next few weeks on some essential tree maintenance on
the Old Green.

Planning
Since the last meeting the council submitted an objection to proposed variations to work
at Williams Wood, Vicarage Rd (23/02958/ROC) but supported an application from Clayton
Cottage, Frithsden Lane for an extension and work to windows (23/02908/LBC).

At the January meeting the council will be considering proposals for:

• 23 Water End Rd and land to rear of 21 Water End Rd (23/01211/FUL). This development has been discussed in various iterations at three council meetings and the Parish Council has objected to each proposal. The Applicant has proposed some additional alterations which don’t yet appear on the planning portal but are detailed in the briefing note for the Parish Council meeting.

• 15 The Back, Potten End – works to trees (23/02963/TCA).

• Hill House, Frithsden Copse – installation of heat pumps (23/03029/RET).

• National Trust Land adjacent to Nettleden Road – felling of ash trees (24/00021/TCA).

The council has received notification of an appeal for a proposal to build a stable and hay
and feed store to which the Parish Council objected on land off Little Heath Lane (22/03183/FUL).

Dates for your diaries
Mr Paul Miller, General Manager of National Trust, Ashridge Estate will attend the council
meeting on 15th February to update us on their plans.

Mr Howard Craft, Club Manager of Berkhamsted Golf Club will attend the council meeting
on 21st March to update us on their plans for tree management.

This article is all about the Dacorum Local Plan – fundamentally how many houses are going to be built in the borough and where in the next 15 years; I’m certain its authors would shudder at that summary, but that’s what most of it is about, and what most of us are most interested in. If it feels like you’ve read about this before – then you’d be absolutely right. There were versions in 2020 and 2023, but whilst changes were made by Dacorum after those earlier versions, what we have now is almost certainly what will be submitted to the Government for approval. Anyone can comment on this version and those comments will be submitted to the Government, but it is highly unlikely that this document will be changed before the Government gets its teeth into it. The consultation process will run from 4 November to 17 December 2024. If you want the full monty, then go to New Dacorum Local Plan (to 2041) where you’ll find more reports than you would have thought possible and details of how to comment. In the meantime, here are some headlines (but please bear in mind that we’ve not had very long to look at it ourselves). 15,300 new houses will be built in the borough by 2041 – borough councillors were advised that any delay to the Plan risked this figure rising to 19,800 because of changes to planning policy being introduced by the government and that they would see more speculative proposals like the proposal for 350 houses at Marchmont Farm opposite Piccotts End (which isn’t in the Plan). Most of the development is in Hemel with some in Berkhamsted and Tring. Much of the housing growth proposed for Tring in the 2020 version of the plan which was removed in the 2023 version has re-appeared on the site which lies between Tring and the station. Most of the development in the Plan for Hemel is to the north and west of the town including:  750 houses at Polehanger Lane which weren’t in the previous two iterations of the Plan and is a significant encroachment on the gap between Hemel and Potten End. The Plan numbers only include the first 1,500 houses of what is referred to as North Hemel with another 3,500 to be built after 2041. It also excludes the 5,500 houses to be built in East Hemel which technically is part of St Albans (the term “Hemel Garden Communities” now generally seems to refer to broader developments across Hemel – but sometimes it’s specific to North and East Hemel, an ambiguity which doesn’t really help understand what’s going on!) Also of interest to the Parish but technically not forming part of the Local Plan proposals because it’s already been approved is the development of 1,150 houses at the bottom of Pouchen End Lane (known as West Hemel Hempstead LA3) It’s not easy to find a map that adequately conveys all of these developments but hopefully you’ll get some sense of what’s happening from the map below. One of the oddities in the Plan is that under the section dealing with the measures to protect Ashridge there’s a detailed list of the SANGs (open spaces) necessary for the planned development – but no mention of the Potten End Hill SANG, despite the fact that so far as we can see it’s still being considered by Dacorum Planning. The Parish Council will discuss a response at its next meeting on 21 November and would very much welcome your views either before then or at the meeting. But if you do want to make a comment, either supporting or expressing concern, then it is important that you make it on the Dacorum website.

The parish council has recently arranged for Potten End village pond to be cleared. Although banned for sale in the UK a large amount of crassula helmsii (known as swamp stonecrop or New Zealand pigmyweed) had developed and needs regular attention. Two full days of work have left the pond in a much-improved state.